As part of the mandate from the CCA General Assembly, the need to develop more intrafaith relations with Catholics as well as with Evangelicals and Pentecostals remains an important concern of CCA.

CCA-FMU staff, Hope Antone, as convenor of the CCA-FABC (Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences) Relations Committee, co-organized with the FABC Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs the meeting of the Asian Ecumenical Committee (AEC) on 20 September 2006 in Bangkok, Thailand.

This committee, set up as part of the partnership of CCA and FABC which was forged in 1993, comprises 7 representatives from each body (CCA and FABC).

The AEC re-confirmed the ongoing work for unity and cooperation between the two bodies through joint projects, cooperation in each other's projects, and joint staff meeting. Among the decisions made at this meeting are: (a) to hold the fourth Asian Movement for Christian Unity [AMCU] in 2007; (b) to jointly hold the third Asian Conference of Theological Students in 2007; and (c) to plan for a joint staff meeting and retreat in Chiang Mai in 2007.

After the one-day meeting, the whole of AEC participated in the Global Christian Forum in Asia which included 6 representatives from the Evangelicals and Pentecostals. This was also held in Bangkok on 21-23 September.

Hubert van Beek, the secretary of the Global Christian Forum (GCF), provided the historical background of GCF, which had met in Hong Kong in 2004. Part of the recommendation of the GCF meeting in 2004 was for CCA, FABC and the Evangelical Fellowship in Asia (EFA) to work together on the follow-up activities. Hence, this 2006 meeting in Bangkok.

This was basically a time for getting to know each other, building friendship and trust, and finding ways of working together, with the theme, "Affirming Our One Savior in Common Witness." Despite the irreconcileable differences, there was a growing sign of openness and genuine desire to continue the relationship. In fact, one of the recommendations is for the Evangelicals and Pentecostals to be invited to the AMCU and ACTS.

posted by hope at Wednesday, October 11, 2006